The "Red Kink BMX" bike was taken late Wednesday afternoon from a yard in the Pawtucketville section of the city, police said.

The boy, identified as Ethyn, was given the bike in August by his dad, who died in September.

"I liked it a lot, because my dad got it. It was the last thing he got me," he said.

Last September, less than two months after surprising him with the bike, Ethyn's father, Bill, died unexpectedly.

"It's more than your own thing," Ethyn said. "It's more that my dad got it for me, and he just passed away."

Ethyn's mother, Misty, said two neighborhood girls witnessed a man take the bike from the side of their Lowell home. Now, she just wants it back, no questions asked.

“Although replacing the bike would be financially challenging for the family, the importance of that last gift from his father cannot be emphasized enough,” police said in a post on their Facebook page.

The bike has green spray paint on one of the wheels.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Lowell Police Department at 978-937-3200 or the Crime Stoppers Tip line at 978-459-TIPS (8477).